The federal Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta on April 30 confirmed Georgia's first case of the new swine flu strain.

Georgia Public Health officials in a 2 p.m. press conference said the affected person is a 30-year-old Kentucky woman who drove to Georgia last week and shopped for two days in Atlanta before attending a wedding in LaGrange last weekend.

The woman, whose identity was not released, is in stable condition. She is in isolation in the intensive care unit of West Georgia Medical Center and “still a very seriously ill individual,” said a hospital official.

The encouraging news is that her 5-year-old daughter, who rode with her from Kentucky to Georgia, has shown no symptoms of this new H1N1 strain of the Type A influenza virus.

So far, the Georgia public health lab has received 48 specimens that tested positive for Type A influenza and are undergoing further testing for the new strain.

Of the 24 Georgia specimens with known results, the only one testing positive for the H1N1 strain was that of the Kentucky woman. Results for the 24 other specimens are pending.

Officials at the press conference said the state lab is receiving specimens from all over Georgia. They recommended that anyone with the symptoms of influenza – cough, fever and body aches – visit his primary care physician.

If symptoms warrant it, doctors can perform in their offices rapid tests for Type A influenza. Physicians may contact local or state health department officials to learn how to submit specimens.

The state has limited supplies for testing; so all specimens positive for Type A influenza still must meet additional criteria for further testing by Georgia’s public health laboratory. If, after further testing, the state lab determines that a specimen is “Type A unsubtypeable” influenza, it is sent to the Centers for Disease Control for a third round of testing to determine if it is the H1N1 strain now of concern around the world.

The incubation period for the new strain is believed to be two to seven days, but officials said they are not yet certain how long someone with the virus can be contagious.

The woman with Georgia’s first documented case traveled with a companion to Mexico on April 17 for a short vacation.

The following day, she began experiencing flu-like symptoms of fever, chills and body aches but dismissed them as effects of being in the sun, officials said.

She returned from her trip on April 21.

Still ill, she drove to Georgia with her daughter on April 23 and shopped in Atlanta that day and the next.

She attended a rehearsal dinner in LaGrange on April 25 and the wedding on April 26. Public health officials released no information about where the woman shopped in Atlanta or about the LaGrange wedding.

After the wedding, she felt ill enough to go to a local hospital and was admitted. The hospital collected a laboratory specimen from the woman, sent it April 27 to the state laboratory, which did further testing and on April 28 sent it to the CDC lab. On April 30, the federal government lab confirmed it was positive for H1N1.

As of Thursday, the woman’s medical condition had slightly improved. State officials said it is encouraging that no intimate family members have shown symptoms. They have been given anti-viral medications as a precaution.

Governor issues statement

Hours after the state’s first case was confirmed, Gov. Sonny Perdue issued the following statement: “Today’s confirmed case of the H1N1 flu in Georgia is a reason for precaution, not panic.

“I want to stress that it is an isolated case appearing in a woman visiting our state for an event who had also recently traveled to Mexico.

“The State of Georgia has worked diligently over the past several years to prepare for a situation like this, and we are partnering with local and federal officials to respond appropriately.

“I encourage Georgians to follow the advice of public health professionals and take the recommended precautions to protect themselves and their families. At this stage, the simplest things – washing hands and using disinfectants – can be the most effective safeguards. I am confident in our planning and preparation and our ability to respond over the coming days.”

The most up-to-date information on H1N1 flu developments in Georgia is available at the Division of Public Health's website at http://health.state.ga.us/swineflu/.

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